ELDERLY WOMAN KILLED IN KOTA BHARU HOUSE FIRE

KOTA BHARU, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- An 89-year-old woman was burnt to death this evening in a fire which almost completely destroyed her home near Jalan Tok Guru here  

Kota Bharu Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Satyuti Satar said the station received an emergency call via the NG999 system at 5.58 pm, just minutes after the fire broke out, and dispatched a team to the scene immediately.

He said fire engines arrived at 6.01 pm with 27 personnel, and upon arrival, they found the house, measuring 60 x 60 square feet, already about 98 per cent destroyed by the flames.

"The fire resulted in one female victim being confirmed dead at the scene," he told reporters here today.

Satyuti said that assistance was also provided by the nearby fire station, which quickly brought the blaze under control.

He said the cause of the fire and the estimated losses are still under investigation.

Meanwhile, a witness, Anis Sutrliati Mohamad, 46, said she and her cousin were having tea at her house, about 20 metres from the victim’s residence, when the incident occurred.

She said she heard a sound like a crashing object, then saw the victim waving her hands and shouting for help.

"The fire was raging at the time, and I saw the victim fall to the lower portion of the house. I could not help because the heat was too intense, so I immediately contacted the fire department," said Anis, who had known the victim for a long time.

The victim, Anis, said was frail, suffered from limited mobility and had impaired vision.

Kota Bharu district police chief ACP Mohd Azmir Damiri confirmed the incident and said the case has been classified as sudden death.

-- BERNAMA